Perioperative bowel habits of women undergoing gynecologic surgery: a pilot study.

Megan E Tarr, Violet Klenov, Margaret E Tanzy, Colleen L Rivard, Margaret M McElhinney, Linda Brubaker, Elizabeth R Mueller, Mary P FitzGerald, Kimberly Kenton

Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Obstetrics, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. megan.tarr@gmail.com

Female pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgery 2012 May-Jun

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To describe perioperative bowel habits of women undergoing gynecologic surgery. This prospective cohort study included women undergoing gynecologic surgery. Before surgery, participants completed the Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS), a validated instrument describing stool characteristics consistent with transit categories: slow (BSFS 1-2), normal (BSFS 3-5), and fast (BSFS 6-7). For 2 weeks after surgery, the participants recorded daily medications and bowel movements (BM), and completed BSFS. The χ(2) test, the Fisher exact test, analysis of variance, t tests, and ordinal regression were used. Preoperatively, most (70%) of 340 women had normal stool transit, with 15% having slow transit and 7% having fast transit. Complete postoperative data were available for 170 (50%). Mean ± SD time to first postoperative BM was 2.8 ± 1.4 days with transit classification: 48% normal, 32% slow, and 20% fast. Most women had normal stool transit both preoperatively and postoperatively. Time to first BM was longer after open surgery by approximately 3 days.

Citation

Megan E Tarr, Violet Klenov, Margaret E Tanzy, Colleen L Rivard, Margaret M McElhinney, Linda Brubaker, Elizabeth R Mueller, Mary P FitzGerald, Kimberly Kenton. Perioperative bowel habits of women undergoing gynecologic surgery: a pilot study. Female pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgery. 2012 May-Jun;18(3):153-7